Final reflections on Portland

Some thoughts about Portland that I never got around to writing about…

Portland reminds me of Austin, Texas or Denver, Colorado. It’s a city that feels young, lots of millennials out on their bikes or walking, dining at some of the non-snootiest places I’ve seen and generally being happy.

VooDoo Doughnuts really are that good and unfortunately located between my hotel and the Convention Center.

There are lots of homeless people in Portland and everyone is nice. The city doesn’t flush the homeless out of parks or out from under bridges. And I was never accosted by aggressive pan handling. Everyone gets along. Hmmm….

And in my politically incorrectness I mused to myself that I couldn’t tell the homeless form the hipsters. Maybe that’s why folks get along, when the line blurs between the Thems and the Usses it reminds us that our similarities exceed our differences.

There’s no traffic in Portland. Stopping at a red light I would let the few cars go by then safely crossed against the light. This is a city that takes public transportation and bike-commuting very seriously, a lesson Cleveland should learn.

I don’t think there is enough to do in Portland to make it a vacation destination, but I enjoyed my time there and wouldn’t mind returning. Though I’d certainly find a more peaceful way to spend my waking hours.